What About Your Technology? Will It Work Overseas?

Everyone has technology questions when they are travelling or moving overseas. After spending a lot of money to buy the latest and greatest cellular phones and computers, you want to know that you can bring these items with you and that you can use them just as you would at home. Here are some things to keep in mind when you are trying to transport your tech overseas.

The first thing that most people are concerned about is their cell phone. And you should be. Many cell phone plans don't extend to the international network, making them difficult to use and often expensive to use if you can access the network. What you will need to do is talk to your cell phone company to see if they can change your plan to an international plan. This will allow you the chance to learn how to use it as well as to find out ahead of time how much your new plan will cost.

Of course, at the same time, your phone may not work with this network. Some phones aren't equipped to receive the correct signals when they are used overseas. Check with your cell phone provider about the model of phone you have and see if you can switch or upgrade to a quad band phone to ensure that you can use it easily.

The good news is that cell phone reception overseas is often much better than on this side of the pond.

In relation to power, you will need to get adapters for the technology that you have right now, depending on the country where you will be living or staying. Call the hotel ahead of time to see what kinds of outlets they have and whether they offer conversion capabilities for foreign travellers. If not, you can find standard conversion kits and adapters at various electronic stores. These will simply fit over the plugs that you have right now, allowing you to plug into the sockets and recharge your equipment.

As for internet access, this tends to vary from area to area. You might want to call ahead to the hotels to see what they offer as this will tend to apply for the rest of the area. In terms of your new home, this is something you will need to talk about with local providers. The good news is that there are many internet cafes that can provide you with a computer and access to the internet for a nominal fee.

About the Author

Matt Reider is the manager of CanuckAbroad.com which provides discount flights resources, budget hotels and budget travel advice to get the most out of your next vacation!